Tag: Lasagna

I’m not a vegetarian. I’m an unabashed omnivore. On a sliding scale from meat lover on one end to veggie nibbler on the other I’m probably a seven. A little more than half way. But I do enjoy a hearty vegetarian meal–if it makes me forget it’s meatless. Taranee’s friend Misty has this recipe for vegetarian lasagna that does that. It’s satisfying without being heavy. I had a Senior Moment while I was assembling the pie and now I have leftover lasagna noodles! Oh well. I’ll just cut them up and put them in some chicken vegetable soup.

You’ll note as you gather your mis en place for the lasagna that you must use Italian seasoning. You can use store-bought but even better, make your own. Here is a great recipe for Italian seasoning. It is by Dean Ornish and it’s called

Preparation
Beat the eggs lightly in a medium bowl. Stir in the cottage cheese, ricotta cheese, and Italian seasoning. Melt the butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add the mushrooms, onion, and garlic. Sauté until tender. Stir in the flour and pepper. Add the milk. Cook until thickened and bubbly, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Stir in the spinach, carrot, 1/2 cup of Parmesan, and salt. [Cook’s Note: If the sauce starts to thicken too quickly, remove it from the heat.]

Now here’s the part where I got mixed up:
1. Layer 1/3 of the spinach mixture and 1/3 of the noodles into a greased 9×13 inch baking dish.

5. I recommend putting the lasagna on a baking tray to catch the spills. Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees for 35 minutes or until heated through. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

Cook’s Note: you may assemble the lasagna, cover with foil and chill for up to 48 hours before baking. To freeze, wrap the unbaked lasagna tightly with foil. Freeze for up to 2 months. To serve, bake, covered, at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. Uncover and bake for 35 to 40 minutes longer or until hot and bubbly. Let stand for 15 minutes before serving.

I love lasagna. But baking one in Bangkok poses quite a challenge. Ricotta cheese, a main ingredient, is quite expensive. I wondered, Is there a lasagna recipe that doesn’t need ricotta cheese? Well, I found one on food.com! It called for a pound and a half of fet mot (Thai for fresh mozzarella) cheese and NO ricotta.